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Friday, May 31, 2013

I have a new Hard Candy polish for you today. This one is from the Crystal Confetti line. This line has a bunch of fun mixed glitters that are reminiscent of many of the indie polishes out there. The best part about these is that they're easy to find and cheap!

Party Central over Cult Nails Nevermore

Party Central is a mix of blue, pink, copper, and white glitters in a clear base.

Color: I love the addition of white glitters to this polish. This takes it away from all the other rainbow glitters out there. The white glitter really pops and adds a really nice touch to the other color glitters.

Formula: The formula on this was easy to work with for a glitter. I used 2 coats of this over a base. I didn't have any problems with it.

Price: I paid around $4 for this at Walmart. These are smaller than your average size nail polish, but that doesn't bother me for this unique of a polish to find at Walmart.

Overall: This is a awesome glitter topper. I'd say for glitter fans out there this would be quite at home in your collection!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Who else freaked out over the L'Oreal Miss Candy gellie polishes? I certainly did! These are true textbook jelly polishes. These are not crellies, almost jellies, kinda jellies, or somewhat squishies. These are syrupy, squishy, and delicious (please don't eat them) jellies. I have Jolly Lolly to share with you today.

Jolly Lolly

Jolly Lolly is a candy apple red jelly.

Color: Gorgeous! This is a true red that has the finish of rock candy. It's shiny, glossy, and absolutely perfect in every way. I have some jelly-like reds, but none that are this jelly-like.

Formula: The formula on this was good. I used 4 coats here to achieve this look. These are definitely sheer, but buildable. The coats apply nicely without become goopy or hard to work with at all.

Price: I paid around $4-$5 for this at Walgreens

Overall: This is an amazing polish. You need it. Go out and get it! This is limited edition, but lately I've seen these everywhere. I don't think they should be too hard to find at this point, bu don'tt wait too long.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

When you get to have an absurd number of nail polishes, it becomes obvious what types of polishes you don't have. One type of polish I did not have but needed was a gold glitter. I have lots of gold glitters, but I specifically was looking for a denser smaller sized gold glitter. The type of glitter I was looking for was one you could use for laying or glitter gradients. I didn't want any mixed sized glitters, anything too dense, or too sparse. Very particular! Yes, I'm nuts. I realize this.

I really couldn't find what I was looking for anywhere, but then I came across Khroma Beauty nail polishes at CVS. That's when I found it, the answer to my very dire and life altering nail polish problem--Khroma Fairy Dust! Khroma Beauty is a Kardashian brand. The Kardashians mean about as much to me at the tissue I just blew my nose in, but this polish is nice.

Fairy Dust--Skittles over Essie In the Cab-Ana, Come Here, First Timer, and Under Where?

Below, I used it to add some glitter accents to China Glaze Tart-y for the Party. I apologize for the bad phone pic.

Fairy Dust is a gold glitter in a clear base.

Color: This is a cooler-toned gold. Fairy Dust leans more to the champagne gold side which I find makes it more flattering. I love this color, and I love the finish. I honestly in my 1,100 bottles of nail polish don't have an exact glitter like this. I'm not saying there isn't one, but for me it was a good find.

Formula: The formula on this was fine. It was a pinch on the thicker side, but it did the job. No major complaints, but not perfect either.

Price: This was around $6 at CVS. The price I find a bit steep for a drugstore polish, but I'm always using CVS ExtraCare bucks when I buy any cosmetics there to offset some of the costs.

Overall: I really like this glitter, but I know this was something I was looking for and needed. This clearly isn't a hot color of the season or anything overly special. I do think it's a great glitter to have on a hand to for nail art or layering. I'm happy to have it.

Monday, May 27, 2013

*I want to first apologize for my measly 2 posts last week. My recent move, a damaged car, and having a bad cold while trying to establish a new routine put me on the outs. The combination wasn't easy for me. I don't like to complain because these things are minuscule compared to many other peoples life struggles, but for a creature of habit like me it was a lot. I'm back to business now! The worst of my cold is over and my car is fixed! I know, I don't have to apologize to you all, but I feel bad about it for my sake. I didn't feel like myself for the past few weeks, and I love blog, so it made me sad to be so out of it!
Happy Memorial Day!

I'm a big fan of lavender polishes. They're definitely one of my favorite colors to sport in the spring in summer months. When I spotted China Glaze Tart-y for the Party in the Avant Garden collection, I knew I had to have it.

Tart-y for the Party

Tart-y for the Party is a medium lavender creme.

Color: Beautiful lavender shade. Before I purchased this, I looked at The Polishaholic's comparison post to make sure this wasn't dupey. This one definitely seems to stand out differently than other lavender colors I have, it's brighter and richer.

Formula: The formula on this was good. This was on the thin side, but applied nicely in 3 coats. Formula wasn't anything fantastic, but was far from bad. Decent.

Price: I purchased this at Sally Beauty Supply for somewhere around $6-$7.

Name: Kelsey @ Polished PerscriptionLocation: CaliforniaManicure Description: I started with a base of two coats of OPI My Vampire is Buff. Then I
used different sized dotting tools to make the gradient of dots from
larger to smaller. The polishes I used to make the dots are Essie
Playdate (lighter purple) and OPI Dutch Ya' Just Love OPI? (Dark purple
shimmer).Favorite Polishes: Picture Polish Cosmos (the blue is amazing and the holo in it makes it
look like a crazy galaxy!), OPI My Vampire is Buff, Essie Bikini So
Teeny, and Zoya Creamy.Blog:www.PolishedPrescription.comFacebook Page: Polished Perscription

Name: Gin Shivers @ Baroque foolLocation: (EU - Slovenija)Manicure Description:
The mani is inspired by my favorite cocktail - Mojito. I used Essence Upper green side and Catrice Vanilla love to make a gradient. Then I added some fimo slices in shape of lemons and mints as in the cocktail. I also added some square rhinetones as ice cubes. I love how cute it turned out. :) Favorite Polishes:
Essence - Electric blue
Color club - Disco dress
Models own - Hedonist
Emily de molly - Bright young things
Catrice - Hugo mossBlog: http://baroquefool.blogspot.com/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/baroqe.foolBloglovin: http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3997869/baroque-foolPinterest: http://pinterest.com/ginowl/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GinShivers

I need manis for June! You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here.
Happy Sunday!

Monday, May 20, 2013

I was hoping after my move everything would calm down. That didn't really happen. My car got run into while it was parked by a moving truck rental Friday night. Thankfully, the damage is only to the back bumper cover, so the actual car is fine. I wasn't in the car either which is good too! I came down with a cold on Saturday night. Our cable box is defective and needs to be replaced. Clearly, none of these things are major at all, and things could of been much worse! It's just I was hoping for a breather after preparing and unpacking after this move, but life happens! I'll manage.

On to polish!

I have one of the spring Avant Garden China Glaze polishes to show you today. I really liked this collection by China Glaze. I must admit China Glaze in the past hasn't impressed me with their collections, but I am fond of this one.

Fancy Pants

Fancy Pants is a blurple with a pink shimmer.

Color: This is a great color. This is perfectly in between a blue and a purple. The color is pigmented and the pink shimmer is a nice unexpected touch.

Formula: The formula on this was great! This applied easily and evenly. No problems at all.

Price: I purchased this at Sally Beauty Supply. I don't remember the exact price, but I think it was between $6-$7.

Overall: I think this polish would be a great addition to a polish collection. I love how it's not a typical spring color, but it's bright, pigmented, and the sparkle adds a very special touch. I really like this one, and I think many of you will too.

Name: Lisa N. / The Polish PlaygroundLocation: CanadaManicure Description: A easy floral manicure inspired by Chalkboard Nails. For this manicure, all the polishes I used are from American Apparel. My base color is Coney Island. For the floral design, I used Cameo Blue, Downtown LA, Manila, Office, and Rose Bowl. I dotted the center of each flower with Passport Blue.Favorite Polishes: They include Orly Rage, Orly Ancient Jade, OPI Pros & Bronze, Essie Shine of the Times, Windestine Jeweled Sand, and many more!Blog:http://thepolishplayground.blogspot.ca/Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/thepolishplayground

Name: Kelsey @ Polished PrescriptionLocation: CaliforniaManicure Description: I started with a base of OPI Black Onyx and used a makeup wedge sponge
to sponge on China Glaze Sexy in the City (medium blue metallic
shimmer), China Glaze Kinetic Candy (greyed out sky blue), and Zoya
Shelby (baby pink creme). Then I added a coat of Essie Carnival (holo
glitter). Then I fished for some larger holographic glitters in Cirque
XX to finish off the look. And of course I topped it all off with SV.Favorite Polishes: Picture Polish Cosmos (the blue is amazing and the holo in it makes it
look like a crazy galaxy!), OPI My Vampire is Buff, Essie Bikini So
Teeny, and Zoya Creamy.Blog:www.PolishedPrescription.com and I also have a Facebook page by the same name.

I need manis for May! You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here.
Happy Sunday!

Friday, May 17, 2013

The past week has felt like a lifetime. I am now moved. We are pretty much done with everything except for adding some finishing touches. We have a lot more space, and I know have a desk area to do all my swatching! Can you believe I had been swatching over a coffee table for over 3 years? My back is in BAD shape! I'm still getting used to new surroundings. Transition is not easy for me, but I'll settle in soon. :)

On to polish!

I have for you today a polish from Orly's Hope and Freedom Fest collection. I really liked many of the colors from this collection. I feel Orly has kind of faded into the background lately, and I hope they pick themselves up. I really enjoy the brand, but I don't think they do so well at promoting themselves lately.

Boho Bonnet

Boho Bonnet is a soft muted blue-grey creme.

Color: This is a beautiful creamy soft color. I find this shade very flattering for a pale shade on my pale skin. I love the combination of blue and grey.

Formula: Great formula. I would of expected a color this light to be tricky to apply, but this applied smoothly and evenly. The formula is a bit on the thinner side, but I do not feel that interfered with the application.

Price: I purchased this at Ulta for $8.50.

Overall: Beautiful color with a great formula. I think colors like this one fit into any season and would look good with just about anything. The PolishAholic compared this to Zoya Kristen, and they are similar. While she thinks Zoya Kristen has the better formula, I must disagree. I think Boho Bonnet formula is far superior! You can all can decide that for yourself though, everyone has different formula preferences.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Today's post is brought to you by Cat from Cat's Adventures in Lacquer Land.
Hi all! This is Cat, from Cat's Adventures in Lacquer Land. I'm so thrilled to be doing a guest post for Steph! Imperfectly Painted is one of the polish blogs that I've followed since I first got addicted to polish. I love her warm, welcoming attitude and of course all the different polishes she showcases. So when Steph put out a call for guest posts I jumped at the chance!

For my guest post I decided to go with a polish pairing I love-- nudes and neons-- and do some nail art! I pulled out one of my all time favorite nude polishes, Essie Sand Tropez and then my American Apparel neon polishes and tried to figure out what I wanted to do. Originally I thought I would try a funky French manicure, but then I was inspired by a post over at Karine's Vernis Club and decided to go for a reverse chevron manicure using one of my favorite techniques-- tape!

In the end, I went with American Apparel Neon Red to make my chevron over Sand Tropez. I love how summery this looks with the bright red color and given the sunny weather in Seattle right now, it feels right. I like that the chervon gives a nice, but fairly subtle pop of color, even though it involves neon. It's not perfect, but given that I can't do freehand nail art at all, I love tape manicures because they're so easy to do!

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and thanks again to Steph for letting me do a guest post! If you're interested, feel free to stop by my blog, check out my Twitter (@LacquerLand) or visit me on Instagram (catray).

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Hi everyone! My name is Barb and I would like to thank Stephanie for this opportunity to guest post for her! Stephanie’s blog was one of the very first ones I started following when I got into nail polish and I bought my very first Zoya’s from her J Wishing her nothing but good luck and congratulations on her move!

Let’s get on to the good stuff, shall we? This is a dotticure I did using all Essie polishes! I’ve been feeling bright summery colors lately and it shows with this manicure. Here’s a shot of everything I used.

My base coat is Duri Rejuvacote. I’ve been using this for a while now and have seen a huge improvement in the strength of my nails. The base color is Essie “Lights” and I did the random dots using “Cascade Cool”, “Play Date”, “Bikini So Teeny”, and “Big Spender”. For my topcoat I used Out the Door.

I had no issues whatsoever with the polishes. “Lights” applied almost opaque in one coat and I used two just to even out a little bit of sheerness. Here’s a picture of it pre-dotted and pre-clean-up. I love how bright and vibrant this is

And here it is completed. Sorry for the kind of crappy pictures. These were all taken with my camera in the evening.

Well, that’s it! Thanks again to Stephanie!! I don’t have a blog but have seriously thought about starting one. For now I have a Facebook page for my nails (https://www.facebook.com/babznails?ref=hl) and I always post them on Instagram (barb_mcgregor) too.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Hello, all! I'm Ali from NiftyBa.com, and I am super excited to be here! I absolutely love Imperfectly Painted not only for her nails, but Stephanie tackles some tough issues that are rarely discussed in nail blogging. We're all unique, and Steph helps me (and many others!) feel accepted online. It's a tough place, yo! Thank YOU!

Anyways... we both live in Central Florida, which can be weird at times, but it has its perks! I'm not a hardcore Disney fan, but I adore it (the music is my favorite!) and I am lucky to have theme park passes. Just a couple of weeks ago, it was announced that three US Disney parks would start off summer with a 24-HOUR KICKOFF to begin 2013's Monstrous Summer celebrating the upcoming Disney-Pixar film, Monster University.

Three things immediately happened.
1. Whatever 5 year wedding anniversary plans that were in place for that same day went out the window.
2. I went into crazy "How do I survive Magic Kingdom for 24 hours?" preparedness mode.
3. I slapped on some Monster's Inc nail art.

The day after the announcement was made, I had already planned to go to Magic Kingdom. Being the dork that I am, I had to try "simple" Disney nail art (and I rarely do nail art). This one thing was so hard to do! Kudos to those who know their way around a brush! It made for great conversation, and I wore it for five days. My base is China Glaze I'm With the Lifeguard, and Mike Wazowski is made up of Wet N Wild French White Creme, Black Creme, and Color Club Chelsea Girl.

Hope this doesn't succeed in frightening you- I do not have a BA in Scaring!

When not jumping for OOTD pics on NiftyBa.com, Ali changes her nail polish every day and chooses the perfect outfit to match and then jump in. More often than not, you can find Ali nomming at food trucks with her husband, book wrangling at the public library, and hugging massive orange kittens. Follow her @nifty_ba on Twitter, or on Instagram (the best obsession ever!) @niftyba.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Today's guest post is brought to you by Alicia from Adventures of a Brand Stinking New Mom. Alicia chose to share with us a great story about how she received her bottle of HARE Asteroid Turf!
A special HARE came to see me for Easter!

Sometimes a small gesture can make a huge impact, even in the nail polish community. I am currently obsessed with nail polish, so much so, that even the Easter Bunny knew it! So what are the odds that that big ole hare dropped off some HARE polish while leaving the kids some goodies!

Hare polish is handmade by a brilliant lady named Nikole. Nikole is one of the nicest people around. After I told her about how desperate I was to get my hands on Asteroid Turf but could not pay ebay prices, she told me she would be restocking a few bottles at her shop. She told me to keep my eyes and ears open to announcements on facebook.

The stalking began!!! Asteroid Turf turned into my unicorn, my great white whale, my totally fat free cheesecake! A myth that could actually be in my reach?! Say it isn’t so!! Too good to be true!

Of course the restock happened while I was working! Well, actually while I was sleeping, because I work nightshift at a local hospital lab. I woke up in a haze and grabbed my phone, checked HARE etsy store, then HARE facebook page and saw I missed Asteroid Turf by just minutes!

I honestly thought I was going to cry! I wrote Nikole and told her I appreciated her letting me know that a very limited amount Asteroid Turf was being restocked, but I was too late. I overslept. The early bird catches the worm, and the late bird just sees the poop the early bird left behind after finishing his meal.

Nikole was so sweet. She told me that she had one bottle set aside incase I contacted her saying I missed it. At that moment, I really did begin to cry!

That touched me to the core. I had been through so much recently trying to recover from a major car accident. I was blindsided by another vehicle, rolled over 3 times, landing upside down, and had to climb my way out of an inverted car. Everyone who came to my aid thought I was dead. They were shocked to see me sitting next to my car relatively okay.

I walked away with minor bumps, cuts and bruises, but my mind took the biggest hit. My emotions were all over the place, worse than when I was pregnant! It has taken many tears, panic attacks, counseling, and pretty nail polishes to get my mind at a somewhat normal state.

So, when Nikole did this out of the kindness of her heart for me, a total stranger, it really touched my soul. It wasn’t so much about the polish itself anymore. It was the fact that someone I would never meet face to face in my lifetime did something really nice for me. For crazy ole me! I will forever be thankful to Nikole for her small gesture that made such a big impact.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Today's guest post is brought to by Sara from My Life in Polish!
Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be guest posting here today. I'm Sara from My Life in Polish. This is my very first guest post and I could not be more excited for it to be on Steph's blog. She has been a true inspiration to me since I began this journey. I knew that I wanted to do something different for this but I'm terrible at nail art. I decided to try (yet again) a jelly sandwich. I haven't had much success with this yet. I do believe this mani changes that. I used three polishes to get this look. I know it's a lot but I think it was worth it. This is LCN Lilac Blossom (supposedly a dupe for OPI You're Such a Budapest), OPI Polka.com followed by a coat of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu. I love the finished look. It looks so soft, almost like it was just one polish rather than three. The first photo was taken in the sun. The second one was taken in the shade.

So there you have it. My first successful jelly sandwich for my very first guest post. Now I want to put Don't Touch My Tutu on everything! What's your favorite jelly sandwich combo? Thanks for reading. A big thanks to Steph for letting me post today. Have a great day!

Sara

Thanks Sara! Be sure to follow My Life in Polish on her blog and Facebook. Happy Friday!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Today's guest post is brought to you by the lovely Lakeisha from Refined and Polished!
Hey dolls! It is my pleasure to provide a guest post for Steph as she moves and gets settled in to her new place. I’ve followed Imperfectly Painted for the longest and I’ve always admired Steph’s blogging style.
Today I wanted to combine several shades that I feel always look good together, gold and turquoise. I started with a base of China Glaze Custom Kicks, a gorgeous turquoise with hidden gold shimmer. Next, I applied striping tape in a horizontal manner and then polished over it using a England Holy Grail (new edition), an antique gold metallic. On the other accent nail, I used one coat of Hit Polish Peacock Plumage, a gold, copper, turquoise, and purple glitter top coat.

I love the way this skittles mani turned out! Turquoise and gold pair so well together; they give off a very luxurious vibe. Striping tape has become my go-to form of nail art because of how simple it is to create versatile looks. I hope you all have enjoyed this guest post. Feel free to keep up with me on Refined& Polished, facebook, or instagram.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Next Monday, I'm going to be moving! Not far. I'm moving only about 10 miles from where I am now. I haven't ever shared why I'm moving on my blog, but those of you who follow me on Facebook know already. I don't share this for attention seeking reasons. This was seriously the craziest moment in my life, and it would be weird not to share it.

*Skip this next part to "Getting to the Point!" if you don't like long stories.

There is no way to put this lightly. There was a triple shooting/double murder in the apartment next door to me in February. I heard everything, it was behind the wall where we sleep. I wouldn't wish what I heard or saw that night on anyone. The event really shook me up, and I can easily say it was the most defining and terrifying moment of my life. I am safe. My bf and kitty are safe. I am thankful.

I have lived in this place for 6 years, no problems, but after this event I did some more research on my area and I was really ignorant to a lot of crimes that take place here. Since that one shooting in February there have been at least 3 other shootings within 2 miles of me (seriously what is wrong with people?---very sad). Also, living next to where something so horrific happened has left us pretty uneasy. Needless to say a move was in order!

Bf and I did some research on neighborhoods and found a place we like in early March. Yay! Sadly, the apartment complex I'm in now did not think murders next door to me was a reason enough to break a lease (really?!?) so we've had to wait it out.

Finally. the time has come and we move on Monday! My mom and grandpa are coming to help us move. Thanks for that! We're actually moving about 3 miles outside of the Disney World area, so I'm very excited about that! I even heard that you can see Magic Kingdom fireworks from our complex. I SO hope that's true! Lots to look forward to. I'm not a big change person, but I think something new and different will be good.

Getting to the Point!
So, yes while we finish packing, move, and settle in, you will be graced on Imperfectly Painted with some lovely guest posters! The guest posts will start tomorrow. I'll still be around Facebook and Instagram, but I'm taking a break from blogging during this process. This means that this coming Sunday there will not be a Share With You Sunday. You can still submit your links if you'd like, but they will be posted on the following Sunday's post.

I will be back next Friday May 17th from my new headquarters! Yay! Let's hope my 3 Helmers full of nail polish can make it up 3 flights of stairs!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

I have a brand new spring collection by Sea Lore to review for you today. If you remember, I reviewed Sea Lore's Triton's Daughters collection last summer and absolutely loved them! Sea Lore creates some beautiful glitter/shimmer combinations that really stand out. The Spring Seas Collection did not disappoint. Note: I will be using Sea Lore's descriptions for these polishes.

Dancing Discus is a sheer soft peach with a shifting blue violet glow. She has various sizes of iridescent hexes, blue green squares and tiny golden glitters. (2 coats over base).

Colors & Finishes: I love the variety of colors and finishes with this collection. My favorite thing Sea Lore does is add special shimmers or iridescence to the bases of the polishes that make them extra special. These polishes are far from flat and boring! I find it very hard to choose favorites here. I have to say Dancing Discus is really something unique and special though!

Formula: The formula on these was easy to work with and apply. I did not have any noticeable troubles with any of these. The glitters spread evenly and nicely. I think some of these I used over bases could be build up to wear opaque, but it is always my preference with sheerer bases to layer them.

Price: These polishes can be purchased for $10.00 for 15ml size or $5.50 for 7.5ml size on the Sea Lore website.

Overall: I really enjoyed this collection. The finishes are beautiful and unique, and the formula was on par too!